Louis



(No Model.)

B. J. HERMAN.

SELF CLOSING HATGHWAY.

No. 404,705. Patented June 4, 1889.

Jinyzantaz Fmzip 7, Herman- (ray;

N. PEYERS. Phnlo'lilhngnpher. Washing'on. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL J. HERMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE SAFETY HATCH-DOOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SELF-CLOSING HATCHWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 404,705, dated June 4, 1889.

Application filed June 26, 1888. $eria1No. 278,238. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMIL J. HERMAN, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Self-Olosin g I-Iatchways, of which the following is a-full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure I is a vertical section through a h atchway, showing part of the cage in elevation and showing also the mechanism for lifting the door in elevation. Fig. II is a similar view with the parts in different positions to that shown in Fig. I.

My invention relates to certain improvements in self-closing hatchways; and my invention consists in features of noveltyhereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a door of a hatchway2 of an elevator-shaft, and which may be large enough to close the entire hatchway; orit may be used to close only half of the-hatchway, as I have shown; and another door 3, opening at right angles to the door 1, being used to close the other half of the hatchway. The door 3 is (when used) operated by the same mechanism as the door 1, and I will simply describe the device foropcrating the door 1.

4 represents a cam on the bottom of the cage 5 of the elevator, and a like or other suitble cam would be secured to the top of the cage.

6 represents a lever pivoted at 7 to one of the uprights 8 of the elevator-shaft or to any other suitable support, and it has an arm or crank 9,to which the upper end of a rod 10 is secured, the lower end of the rod being secured to a segment 11, as shown at 12. The segment is preferably provided with projections or teeth 13 to engage a chain 14, which is connected to the segment by one end, as shown at 15. The other end of the chain is connected at 16 to the door 1. The segment 11 is pivoted and turns on a fixed pin 17, secured to one of the uprights 8 orto some other suitable fixed object. Surrounding this pin, with a number of coils, is a spring 18. (This will best be seen by looking at the device for operating the door 3, as a side view is there given of it.) One end of this spring is secured to an arm 19, rigidlysecured to the pin 17, preferably by a set-screw 20. The other end of the spring extends outwardly some distance from the pin 17, as shown at 21, and its outer end is in line with the pin that connects the lower end of the rod 10 to the segment 11, as shown at 12.

The operation is as follows: When the door is closed, the pin at 12 bears against the end 21 of the spring 18, as shown in Fig. I. As the door is opened the pin at12 leaves the end 21 of the spring, as shown in Fig. II, and does not come against the end 21 again until the dooris very nearly closed. Thus, when the cage leaves the door in going up or coming down, the door falls shut rapidly and Without any resistance or hinderance until it is almost closed. The pin at 12 then comes against the spring, which takes the rapid movement from the door and compels it to close easily and gently, to avoid slamming.

I clainras my invention In a self-closing hatchway, the combination of the door,segment, chain 14, connecting the door to the segment, rod 10, lever 6, and spring 18, having arm 21, against which the segment bears when the door has nearly reached its closed position and not until then, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

I EMIL J. HERMAN.

In presence of- J os. WAHLE, EDwD. S. KNIGHT. 

